Carbon Cycle Teacher Resources

Students examine the carbon cycle and how carbon atoms travel through it.  In this energy cycles lesson students describe how human activities affect the carbon cycle. 

Provide your class with the opportunity to view our carbon cycle close up. Young scientists research the cycle of oxygen as it completes the tasks of photosynthesis and respiration. They explore the importance of carbon in an ecosystem...

The reintroduction of a species to an area doesn't always go as expected. Scholars learn about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park with a video, reading, and discussion questions. They complete a hands-on activity...

When it comes to the carbon cycle, the sky really is the limit. The lesson begins with observing a closed ecosystem in a bottle. Then, scholars discuss and answer questions on the carbon dioxide and oxygen cycles. 

As the world population increases, demands on the carbon cycle also increase. A well-designed instructional activity first explores the greenhouse effect and its impact on global warming. Further sections have pupils study the effect of...

Humans can have a big impact on the environment, specifically the influence they have on the carbon cycle. First, the class will define and discuss each of the earths four major spheres, the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and...

Four Brits embark upon their own personal cycling tour in order to understand the carbon cycle and how we can live a low-carbon lifestyle. Local food is sought out along with other ways to reduce one's carbon footprint. Encourage your...

Students examine the relationship between chlorophyll and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  In this investigative lesson students study the local effects of climate change. 

Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (in terms of mass), behind hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. Scholars learn about the carbon cycle, from ways carbon is removed from the atmosphere to how it is added in...

A role-play activity that uses Ping-Pong balls to represent carbon atoms demonstrates for young scientists the complex relationships involved in the carbon cycle.

Meteorologists view an animated video by the Environmental Protection Agency to learn how the carbon cycle works, and then move into groups to analyze and graph actual data of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from Hawaii's...

In this carbon cycle lesson, middle schoolers review the carbon cycle and visit stations in the room where they experience every phase in the carbon cycle. Students journal about their journey through the cycle and brainstorm ways...

Students explore the carbon cycle. In this carbon cycle activity, students discuss the four main reservoirs where carbon is stored and then discover the process through which each reservoir absorbs and releases CO2. This activity...

Using a jigsaw approach, earth science experts teach each other about the physical, biological, and geologic components of the carbon cycle, with a specific focus on the ocean. 

Students play a game. In this carbon cycle lesson, students read The Carbon Cycle, list places where carbon is found on Earth, brainstorm why carbon is important and play an online interactive game.

Anytime you make concepts clear with role playing or hands-on experience, it's a win for the whole class. Ping-Pong balls are used to represent carbon in a carbon cycle role-play activity. In small groups, children first discuss what...

For this complex game about the carbon cycle, the playing field is divided into air, living, and earth zones. Children are assigned to be either plants or animals, and collect carbon tokens as they proceed from zone to zone. While the...

The carbon cycle isn't a bike which produces carbon and this lesson explains why. Through reading and discussion, groups of pupils create visual explanations of the four parts of the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle. Activities...

An interesting lesson plan takes pupils on a trip through the carbon cycle. A reading passage allows scholars to take notes and make choices about what happens to the carbon on its journey. This third lesson plan in a series of 21...

The goal of this science instructional activity is to have youngsters be able to identify the physical and chemical changes in the carbon cycle, and water cycle due to weathering. The in-class inquiry/experiment is quite interesting and...

So how does the carbon cycle work? Kids participate in a hands-on activity that allows them to understand the chemistry behind climate change and global warming. They act out the process of photosynthesis by labeling themselves as...

Here is an interesting science lesson plan. Pupils discover that carbon, just like water, is absolutely necessary for all living things to survive. They study how it cycles through nature, become familiar with the periodic table, and...

What impact do humans have on greenhouse gas emissions? What are the natural causes of these gasses? Thanks to the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide eats away at the earth's atmosphere with the intensified help of humans. Young scientists...

Students study the carbon cycle and how it cycles through our environment.  In this carbon cycle lesson plan students play a game that allows them to discover that carbon can take many forms and that there is not a set path.